Overnight Trip and Sweetsome Sundays...

For most people, an overnight trip to a town four hours away for a garden convention isn't much to get excited about.  For me, it's a sign of how far I've come since I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, mercury poisoning, Hashimotos, and adrenal fatigue.  Three years ago, even last year, a trip like this would have been a MAJOR stress starting  three weeks in advance, with much misery and doubt about whether or not I could handle everything.  Now, even without getting a good night's rest at all last week, having to run and hide from a tornado in a freezing, moldy, and spooky basement, and having to watch The Ten Commandments (have I ever expressed my loathing of anything connected with Charlton Heston? Let's just say this was a perfect lenten penance...), I am tolerably confident I will survive this trip.  Especially since Mom brought bubble gum.

The convention was actually kind of fun; I ran the checkout station (I always feel like Fitz from Agents of Shield when I use our tablet) and got to meet a lot of people, many of whom have been customers of ours for years.  It was lovely hearing about their gardens and answering their questions...actually my brother answered most of the questions, he's much more informed about these things than I am =).

Since we drove, I was able to get caught up on lots of reading and research I've been meaning to do, switching back in forth from book to phone as I gained and lost Internet connection.  I've been interested in making my own makeup for awhile and needed to plan out our Easter dinner (especially since our parish priest may be coming), so all the time stuck in the back of the suburban (I''m now officially the shortest person in the family, so I get the seat with the least amount of leg-room; in other words I had to sit on my feet the whole way =)) was put to good use.  Conveniently enough, there was a Whole Foods and a Natural Grocers right down the road from our hotel and we were able to have a nice salmon and shrimp dinner in our room Friday night.

We were all pretty exhausted when we got home but everyone had a great time and the high speed internet at the convention definitely came in handy.  Mom has had some health summit talks that we've needed to download for a few weeks and my brothers downloaded all the Agents of Shield episodes we have missed during Lent so we can watch them after Easter.  My little brother was in near ecstasy when we got home and found his drone had come in the mail while we were gone...he's been waiting for it to come in for over a month now.  Our doberman is about to have a nervous breakdown from being chased around the house, and the chickens think it's a chicken hawk, but it's already provided a lot of entertainment and fun.   Now that we're back home we're busy preparing our garden for planting and working on finishing up our Lent well.  Last year I did NOT prepare for our Easter dinner, and it wasn't a very festive meal, but this year things are going to be different.  We shall feast on artichoke stuffed lamb, marmalade glazed ham, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and Creme Brulee...so let it be written, so let it be done! (Booonnnnngggg...I love saying that quote; all I need is someone to hit a gong when I say it).

We found all of our flowers have started blooming in our yard...somehow they always seem to bloom right before Easter...

Lately we have been just picking up ice cream for our "Sunday Treat", so I'm going to share the recipe for the cake my brother made for the feast of St. Benedict.  There was some mis-communication about the sweetener, so ours ended up tasting like incredibly buttery cornbread with cream cheese icing...but oh my goodness, it was soooooo delicious.  I just might have him always make it without the sugar...
I got this recipe from Satisfying Eats.

Italian Cream Cake

Cake

3 cups blanched almond flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Organic Trader Joe's Stevia or sweetener of choice, to taste
1-1/2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut**
2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (or homemade)
8 large eggs
3/4 cup unsalted butter or ghee, melted
1 cup sour cream, heavy cream or pure coconut milk
2 cups chopped pecans

**I used shredded coconut which is very fine for one cake. I also used coconut flakes or coconut chips that I had slightly processed in a food processor to make them smaller, more like shredded coconut, for the second test batch. Both worked well. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
(2) 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. Organic Trader Joe's Stevia or sweetener of choice, to taste
1 tbsp. raw honey (optional)

instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of (2) 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper to prevent cake from sticking.

In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients. Blend well with a whisk to break up any lumps. To the same bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir. Taste for sweetness and adjust if needed.

Divide batter between the two lined pans, being sure to spread the batter evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Once cakes are done, let cool in pans 5 minutes and then run a butter knife along the edge of the cake and invert onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to completely cool. While cake is cooling, prepare frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, blend cream cheese until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until frosting is thick and smooth. Taste for sweetness and adjust if needed.
Frost cooled cake with frosting.

notes
Nutrition: 333 Calories, 31 grams Fat, 7.1 Total Carbs, 2.7 grams Fiber, 4.4 Net Carbs, 7 grams Protein 

 I hope you all have a very Blessed Holy Week and Easter! On Good Friday I'm going to try a new Hot Cross Buns recipe I made up, and if I have time I'll post the recipe and some pictures for your benefit.  If it turns out edible, of course. =)